Fruit-cleaner



No. 626,6I3. Patented lune 6, |899. J. w. HENDRIX.

FRUIT CLEANER.

(Applicatio led Nov. 21, 1898.3

(No Model.)

W/TNESSES A TTOHNE YS.

TN: Nonms Perma cn. mo'rouwo.. wAsHmaYou. r:A c.

UNITED STATES VPATENT* i OFFICE.

JOEL WIGFALI. HENDRIX, on PALMETTO, FLORIDA.

FRUIT-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 626,613, dated J une 6, 1899.

Application filed November 2l, 189B. Serial No. 697.005. (No model.)

To all whom zic may concern:

Be it known that I, JOEL WIGFALL HEN- DRIX, of Palmetto, in the county of Manatee and State of Florida, have inventedanew and Improved Fruit-Cleaner, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved fruit-cleaner more especially designed for thoroughly cleaning and polishing oranges without danger of bruising or otherwise injuring the same. j

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indi- Cate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1' is a sectional plan View of the cleaner on the line l l in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line 2 2in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an end View of the discharge end of the cleaner. Fig. 4is a transverse section of the cleaner on the line 4 4 in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a similar View of the same on the line 5 5 in Fig. 2.

The improved fruit-cleaneris provided with a casing A, having the end pieces B B', rigidly connected with each other by longitudinally-extending rails B2, as is plainly shown in Figs. l, 4, and 5. In the ends B and B' are journaled spiral roller-brushes C C', connected with each other outside of the end B by 'gear-wheels D, so that the two brushes rotate in unison and in the direction of the arrows a', Vas indicated in Fig. 4. On the shaft of one of the brushes is secured a pulley E, connected by belt with other machinery for irnparting a rotary motion to the pulley to drive the two brushes in unison, as before mentioned. It will be understood,however, that instead of the pulleya crank-arm may be applied to the shaft to actuate the cleaner by hand. The two roller-brushes C C' are arranged alongside each other, and above the roller-brushes are arranged brushes F, secured or formed on longitudinally-extending bars G, secured at their ends to the sectional heads II, held transversely adjustable on the end pieces B B', so as to bring the brushes F nearer to or farther from each other, according to the size of the oranges or other fruit to and the brushes F extend in a radial and inv ward direction from said side bars to readily engage the tops and a portion of the side surfaces of the oranges as they pass through the machine, said oranges being moved along by the spiral roller-brushes C C'.

In order to make the heads adjustable, I provide the same with slotted anges I-I', engaged 4by bolts I, secured to the corresponding end piece B or B', so that when the bolts are loosened the said heads may be shifted tO- Ward or from each other to bring the brushes F into the proper position for cleaning large or small fruit. The bolts I are then screwed up to secure the heads in place. After the desired adj ustment is made between the heads H at each end piece B or B' of the casing said heads are connected with each other by a bar J, secured to one of the heads and extending upon the other head to receive in the slot J of this latter end a bolt J2, attached to the other head, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The top bars G at or near the end piece B are cut out or reduced to form an inlet-opening G for the fruit contained in a hopper K, the lower end of which opens into said inletopening G', as is plainly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5. The hopper K is preferably fastened to one set of bars G, as indicated in Fig. 5.

The heads H at the lower end of the casing are made segmental, as is plainly illustrated in Fig. 3, so that the oranges or other fruit can readily pass out of the casing at this end of thevmachine.

When the roller-brushes are rotated and the oranges pass from the hopper K one by one into the casing, they are carried forward in the direction of the arrow b by the action of the spirally-arran ged bristles of the brushes C C', and at the same time the oranges are turned over and are engaged at the top and sides by the brushes F, so that a thorough brushing, cleaning, and polishing of the fruit takes place. By having the brushes F adjustable in the manner described the machine can be readily used for cleaning and polishing large or small sized fruit.

Having thus fully described my invention,-

IOO

toward the said roller-brushes, to engage the I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A fruit-cleaner Comprising' a casing, a pair of spiral roller-brushes j ournaled in said casing, longitudinal bars arranged over said rollers and having brushes extending toward said roller-brushes, to engage the fruit at the top and sides while it is carried forward by the roller-brushes, and sectional heads carrying said bars, and having their sections transversely adjustable on said casing, substantially as shown and described.

2. A fruit-cleaner comprising a casing, a pair of s iral roller-brushes journaled in said casing, ongitudinal bars arranged over said roller-brushes and having brushes extending fruit at the top and sides while it is carried forward by the roller-brushes, and sectional heads carrying said bars, and having their sections transversely adjustable on said casing, one of the heads being formed with a discharge-opening for the fruit, and a hopper .carried by the other head, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a cleaner, the combination of two spiral roller-brushes mounted in parallelism to each other, means for'driving the brushes in unison, and a series of longitudinal bars located over the roller-brushes and adjacent 3o to each other to form a casing through which the material cleaned is passed, the bars being 

